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Canton Valais halts wolf culling after NGO appeal

wolf
The permit to cull wolves in the canton allowed the shooting of seven of the 13 wolf packs in Valais, which corresponds to around 34 animals out of an estimated population of 90 to 120 animals. © Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

On Wednesday, canton Valais halted the shooting of the wolf packs of Hauts-Forts, Nanz and Le Fou-Isérables. The decision follows an appeal by nature conservation organisations to the Federal Administrative Court.

The appeal against the decision of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) to authorise the shooting of these three packs was challenged by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Pro Natura and BirdLife Switzerland at the Federal Administrative Court, wrote canton Valais in a press release on Wednesday.

+ How many wolves are good for Switzerland?

As a result of this appeal, State Councillor Frédéric Favre had to order the canton to stop proactively regulating wolves in these areas.

At the beginning of December, Favre had decided to order the culling of the packs in seven areas. The FOEN had previously given the green light.

The permit, which is valid until January 31, 2024, allowed the shooting of seven of the 13 wolf packs in Valais, which corresponds to around 34 animals out of an estimated population of 90 to 120 animals. Ten wolves have been shot since December 1.

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